Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Griffith and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,515 in Griffith, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Griffith
Learn more

Griffith Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Griffith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,515

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Griffith and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Griffith and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,515 per month in Griffith vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Griffith $2,515
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,527 per month in Griffith vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Griffith $3,527
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,539 per month in Griffith vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Griffith $4,539
Chiang Mai $1,979

Griffith costs about 169% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Griffith sits 85% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.87 A$25.52

$2.13 ฿71.9

738.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 A$121

$18.62 ฿628

353.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 A$15.12

$5.60 ฿189

89.11%

Cappuccino

$4.12 A$5.88

$1.66 ฿56.0

148.19%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 A$4.17

$0.65 ฿21.80

349.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.22

$0.30 ฿10.28

653.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 A$11.07

$2.32 ฿78.3

234.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 A$10.55

$3.67 ฿124

101.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.16

$2.02 ฿67.9

-25.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 A$3.80

$1.41 ฿47.45

88.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.26

$1.39 ฿46.90

64.03%

Eggs

$4.84 A$6.91

$2.37 ฿79.8

104.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 A$12.95

$16.52 ฿557

-45.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 A$13.07

$2.67 ฿90.0

242.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 A$20.96

$9.02 ฿304

62.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.50

$2.40 ฿80.8

60.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.27

$1.04 ฿35.09

187.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.56

$1.66 ฿55.9

92.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.69

$1.56 ฿52.5

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 A$3.88

$1.24 ฿41.71

118.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.42

$1.09 ฿36.62

119.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$0.76 ฿25.67

207.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.26

$0.51 ฿17.33

209.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.88 A$59.8

$4.12 ฿139

916.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 A$20.00

$17.93 ฿604

-21.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 A$6.76

$1.62 ฿54.7

191.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.61

$2.82 ฿95.1

89.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.87

$0.93 ฿31.49

191.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.5 A$118

$52.9 ฿1,782

55.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 A$4.89

$1.18 ฿39.65

190.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 A$2.36

$0.17 ฿5.78

876.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.80 A$56.8

$1.81 ฿61.1

2098.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.47 ฿49.63

-6.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.0K A$41.4K

$21.0K ฿708.1K

37.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K A$38.1K

$26.5K ฿893.6K

0.67%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$207 A$296

$62.6 ฿2,108

230.75%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.81 A$39.71

$11.60 ฿391

139.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.5

$20.30 ฿684

180.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.5

$37.88 ฿1,277

46.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.83 A$25.46

$3.70 ฿125

381.89%

Cinema Ticket

$13.84 A$19.77

$6.51 ฿219

112.60%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,140 A$3,057

$727 ฿24.5K

194.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$29.0K

$16.6K ฿558.5K

22.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 A$109

$53.5 ฿1,804

41.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 A$78.8

$24.80 ฿836

122.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$90.4 ฿3,046

17.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 A$173

$72.0 ฿2,425

68.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 A$2,028

$481 ฿16.2K

195.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 A$1,730

$310 ฿10.4K

290.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 A$3,181

$1,058 ฿35.7K

110.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 A$2,557

$659 ฿22.2K

171.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,896 A$8,419

$2,418 ฿81.5K

143.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,996 A$7,135

$1,609 ฿54.2K

210.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Griffith: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Griffith

$1.2K 48.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 74.4% $901

Groceries & Markets

Griffith

$364 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 35% $128

Eating Out

Griffith

$298 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 74.3% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Griffith

$292 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.6% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Griffith

$161 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 32.8% $53

Getting Around

Griffith

$105 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 44.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Griffith

$83 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 38.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,379 in Griffith versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Griffith versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Griffith

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

4 h behind Griffith

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,799

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Griffith Chiang Mai 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Griffith
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Griffith vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Griffith costs about 169% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,773 per month in Griffith and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,379 in Griffith.

Kindergarten costs $2,118 per month in Griffith and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Griffith, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,515 in Griffith and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.